Navy Secretary John Phelan has left the Trump administration, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.
“On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement posted on X.
Phelan’s firing, done by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is the result of tensions between the two and the Pentagon’s second in charge, Stephen Feinberg, according to those closer to the department.
However, the clashes reportedly included disagreement over the approach that Phelan chose in reference to shipbuilding, the Golden Fleet (Trump’s naval initiative), and ship deployment around the world. Feinberg had relieved Phelan of his ability to make decisions on shipbuilding.
The termination comes as the United States is at war with Iran. The U.S. military seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran says is a violation of a ceasefire agreement. However, the administration disagrees with that perspective and said that the U.S. naval blockade has been effective.
Before his departure, Phelan introduced a new class of battleships that he called “Trump-class battleships” at an event at Mar-a-Lag0.
He also reversed the demotion of former White House physician Ronny Jackson. Jackson served under Obama and the first Trump administration and was demoted due to inappropriate behavior while he was the White House physician.
Hegseth has fired several senior officials either due to their association with previous administrations or general power struggles.
